The Californication of the London Swagger

     Swagger is more than a “viral” utterance that has taken over the young social scene and media.  Swagger is now a standard of living.  Swagger is mostly known as style, unique part of what makes you different, the way you portray and carry yourself (confidence), and your gear (clothes).  The demonstration of swagger has been personified in the streets of Soho.  The vivid area is located in the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London.  Soho is an entertainment district with streets vibrant with a sexual provocative ambiance.  The district is a dramatic catwalk that is well known for its nightlife, film industry, fashion, and most importantly its portrayal of art.  It remains, however, a wonderful mix of chic and trashy.  Visitors and Londoners should experience the infamous Soho district.  Soho never fails to pull in the punters on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in particular.

     Old Compton Street is now the most prominent gay area in London with many bars and shops catering for the gay crowd. The street is also home to a number of adult entertainment venues like G-A-Y, G-A-Y Late, and Heaven.  Thursday night in Heaven is one of the busiest nights in the dance club.  They feature performances by various artists that sell swagger. 

Kreayshawn, a white girl rapper from Oakland, California whose career was propelled overnight via a viral YouTube smash hit, ‘Gucci Gucci.’ Her songs are celebrations of thrift shop trash-chic fashion and drug consumption. Since her exposure to the media Kreayshawn has practically lived on the virtual world.  Fans have unlimited access to anything they want on screen.  Being a sensation many teens opt to mimic her style her “swag.”  Kreayshawn is pocket-sized 21-year-old has a peculiar fashion sense (gimmicky Minnie Mouse ears), an array of tattoos, savvy attitude, and drive to excel in the rapping business.  In the flesh, the California upstart is all business known as swagger.  For rappers with swagger your music is going to be entertaining regardless.  Her lyrics are mad and “non-lyrical” which is the Swag rapper but she makes up for her lack of raw flow with her beats.  Kreayshawn does not inform you social issues they just drop beats, Swag, and deliver gnarly lyrics.  

     Kreayshawn owns the stage having the crowd follow her every command.   I saw her performance ‘Gucci Gucci’ in Heaven on Thursday in “one big room full of” sweaty bitches.  She had me dancing, jumping, sweating, and following her silly commands.  Her performance became a stage invasion; being part of the chanting audience I experienced the mind-blowing beats and slick rhymes of her Oakland gangster rap.  The atmosphere grew more explosive while the dance floor felt more epic with every bass beat.  My bones were trembling.  Irresistible fusions of hip-hop swagger and chilled electro that inspired the London crowd and I to go “hyphy.”  ‘Gucci Gucci’ was danced and chanted by us, the mad crowd, putting tremendous emphasis on the song’s hook “One big room full of bad bitches.”  Raw and organic, Kreayshawn is as real as it gets.

When Kreayshawn executed her mad skills she turned on her A-game and “spitted” her lyrics with no modesty “Young, rich and flashy…I be where the cash be” creating more fascination to her lyrics and swagger.  Kreayshawn has “the swag…and it’s pumpin’ out [her] ovaries” getting the main shout of the evening.  In a nutshell, she brought Oakland, California to London-town.  Soho now knows swagger.   

Miguel Rios
University of California, Merced